


Petals of Consolation

by StarlightTigress



Series: My Shallura Week Writings [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, shallura - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 04:25:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9418655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightTigress/pseuds/StarlightTigress
Summary: As the leaders of Voltron, their minds lay heavy and tired at night. However, a run in with each other may leave both minds at ease.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally for Shallura Week, but I couldn't keep up with it because I'm very lazy. So, I'll be doing it at my own pace. :P I may get around to the other ones now that Season 2 has been released. (I binged watched the whole thing...)
> 
> So this is Day 1 of the Shallura Week prompts: Discovery/Recovery
> 
> This takes place between episode 9 and episode 10 of season 1.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Shiro found it hard to sleep. His mind kept him awake with what he didn't remember while he was imprisoned. His mind also tortured him with what he did remember. He kept seeing things in the darkness and his breathing would become rapidly faster. Finally, after some on and off sleep, he decided to get up and walk around the castle. He hoped it would clear his mind enough so he could get a couple hours of rest.

The castle was quiet and dark as Shiro walked down the hall. A light would brighten and then go back to its dim glow as he continued walking. It was slightly eerie walking through the open hallways in near darkness. However, it was better than laying in his bed and feeling as though the walls were slowly closing in on him.

As Shiro continued down the hall, he saw a light spilling out of the doorway up ahead.

_Isn’t that the kitchen?_ he thought as he started walking up to the doorway. _Is someone in there?_

Peaking inside, he saw the princess sitting silently at the counter. Her face was in her hands with a cup with some kind of drink in front of her. She was still in her night gown as her shoulders lightly shook.

Sympathy swelled inside Shiro’s chest. Princess Allura had gone through so much already. Not only had she lost her home, her people, and her family; but she now lost the last remnants of her father. If she didn’t have Coran, she would’ve been the last of her people with only a castle and Voltron to remember them by. After everything that happened to her, she deserved to cry; even though she'd only allow herself to cry silently. He wasn’t sure if he should disturb her when she was obviously having a private moment to mourn her loss. However, when he started to walk backwards to head back to his room, his boot knocked against the door frame with a loud "thud".

Hearing this, Princess Allura shot her head up to see Shiro in the doorway, looking slightly panicked and guilty for spying on her. She was brimming with tears, making her eyes look like shimmering crystals. Shiro’s heart ached at seeing her like this.

“Shiro. I.. I hadn’t known anyone was still awake,” she stated, wiping her eyes with the bottom of her palms and blinking her eyes rapidly. She took a deep breath to steady her breathing and sniffed slightly to recover her composure.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he replied honestly. “I thought I might be able to walk around to get my mind off of things. I'm sorry for disturbing you-,” before he could finish his apology, she shook her head, waved him off, and gave a smirk in understanding.

“It's alright. I couldn’t sleep either. I thought a warm drink could calm me enough to let me sleep,” she gestured towards her cup. She noticed that Shiro had bags under his eyes, and he seemed to be tense. If anything, he may have been having a similar problem that she was having - a hard time falling asleep.

Deciding it was safe to probably walk in, Shiro sat down beside her with his body turned towards her. “What kind of drink is it?”

Taken slightly by surprise by his question, she answered, “It’s called Loonli. It’s supposed to calm the nerves and settle the mind.” By her answer, he could tell it did neither for her.

“May I?” he pointed towards the cup, indicating he wanted to try a sip of what was left of the drink.

“Oh! You don’t have to drink from my old cup. Let me get you a fresh one,” she said, starting to get up. Shiro smiled and waved away her offer.

“No, it’s fine. I’ve been imprisoned for a year; I don’t mind alien germs,” he smirked and grabbed the cup. It smelled warm yet sour, reminding him of vinegar. Taking a sip, it tasted nearly exactly like it smelled; warm vinegar.

He set the cup down as he coughed into his arm. Looking worried, Allura placed her hand on his arm. “Shiro, are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he said between coughs. It was like his taste buds were punched with the flavor. “It just tastes like vinegar.” He finally looked up at her. “What’s that made from?”

Looking slightly confused, she told him. “It’s from the loonla fruit. It is not supposed to make the person choke.”

Giving a slight groan, he pushed the cup slightly away. “Yeah, well, I like drinks that are a little sweeter than that.”

Allura smiled, “Then you would’ve loved the drinks made from the juniberry flowers. They were very sweet.”

“Really? Were they your favorite drinks?” he asked, curious.

She smiled with a nostalgic look in her eyes. “Yes. They were also my favorite flowers back in Altea. The petals would come right off in a single breeze.”

“They sound like really beautiful flowers,” he said, smiling.

She looked him in the eye, smiling, “They were.”

Feeling as though he should let her in on something from his past like she had with him, he continued talking. “My favorite flowers were cherry blossoms.”

“Cherry blossoms? What are they like?” she asked, curious as to the flowers on Earth.

“They are small pink flowers that bloom on trees. My mother had a cherry blossom tree in her backyard. It was a gift from my grandmother,” he said, a small smile forming.

“That sounds lovely,” Allura commented. Seeing his small smile made her smile too.

“It was.” He suddenly chuckled, “I remember how my grandmother would tell me stories from underneath that tree. It’s been so long since I’ve thought about it.”

“How come it’s been so long?” Allura asked.

“Well, she passed away when I was younger, so a lot of things have been happening between then and now. But I’m glad I thought about her again,” he said, smiling. Allura could tell that he was feeling better than he had just a little while ago.

“I’m glad you have as well,” she said, genuinely happy for him.

Without thinking, he asked, “How come you like juniberry flowers?” He could tell they held some significance to her.

“Oh…,” she muttered, taken slightly aback by his question. Her smile faded and she seemed to have a guarded look in her eyes.

Realizing how forward and intrusive his question may have been, he started backing out, feeling slightly flustered. “I-I mean, if you don’t mind me asking. I’m sorry; that may have been too personal,” he admitted, looking away from her.

Allura shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I was just surprised.” When he finally looked up at her, she smiled; the guarded look now gone. “There was a field of juniberry flowers near our home in Altea. My father and I would go there many times to smell the flowers and spend time with one another. They’re some of my favorite memories.”

As Princess Allura smiled at the memories, Shiro smiled as well. “It sounds like he was a great father.”

“He was,” she said. She could feel herself starting to tear up at his memory.

Seeing how she started to get teary-eyed, he wanted to comfort her. He hesitated at first, but he placed his hand on her shoulder, deciding to try to be there to help in anyway. “Princess, I truly am sorry about your father. Is there anything I could do to help? Please don't hesitate to ask."

It seemed as though she was about to deny his help, but she stopped when looking into his eyes. They were full of compassion and caring. She couldn't dismiss his help as if his offer meant nothing to her when it meant everything.

She put her hand over his that rested comfortingly on her shoulder, "You being here is enough," she said, smiling. He smiled back; glad that he could give her some comfort. It seemed something else came to mind as she bit her lip and looked to the side.

Confused, Shiro asked, "What is it?"

She shook her head, "No, it is selfish of me to ask." She continued to look away from him. Her eyes widened when she felt cold metal touch the side of her chin to gently turn her face towards Shiro's.

"Allura, you can tell me," he reassured, lowering his metal hand to his knee. His furrowed brows and understanding eyes let her ask something from him that she knew he couldn't fully keep.

"Please be safe," she said, her eyes filled with concern. "If something were to happen to you, I don't know what- what we'd do," she stammered. "We need you to lead Voltron; to form Voltron. Without you, all would be lost. And _everyone_ on this ship would be saddened with you gone."

Hearing her emphasis on the word "everyone" made him smile. It seemed as though she wanted him to know that even she would be sad; not because he was an ally, but because she cared about him. He cared about her too. "I know you know I can't keep that promise. But I'll be as safe as I can be."

She sighed, "I know you cannot, but thank you." She paused looking down. When she looked up, there was a hardness in her eyes that startled him, "I need you safe as well in case anything were to happen to me. I would need you here to take my place. To lead for the both of us."

"Allura-," he started talking, pulling his hand away from her shoulder, both from what she had said and from realizing it had stayed on her shoulder longer than he had meant to. However, she gripped his hand with both of hers; keeping a firm hold of it.

"Shiro, please. If anything happens to me, promise that you'll lead everyone in my stead," she pleaded. He looked into her eyes, frozen at the intensity and desperation in them. He knew how lost their team would be without her; not to mention how Coran would feel if anything were to happen to her. But there was the possibility that something could happen, and that scared him.

After closing his eyes, he finally sighed and looked up at her. "Alright. I will. But, that means you need to be safe as well. As safe as you can be," he looked her in the eye, needing her to promise him. After a moment passed, she finally sighed and softened her shoulders.

"Alright. I will be more cautious. But I will need to take some risks, just like you," she said. He understood and nodded.

"Of course."

"Although I would like to go out on the field with you all at some point. My knowledge of the Galra can help," she smiled, the tension in the air finally letting up.

Shiro finally chuckled, glad that the air around them wasn't so rigid. "I'm fine with that. Just remember what we agreed on." She nodded and smiled back at him.

It was only then that they realized that Allura was still holding onto Shiro's hand and he was gripping one of hers. Noticing this, they both quickly apologized and pulled away awkwardly. Shiro rubbed the back of his neck while Allura rubbed her arm shyly. "Uh, I-I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to...," he drifted off, getting embarrassed the more he talked.

"No, i-it's alright. I'm sorry," she stated awkwardly. Then her eyes softened and a small smile appeared on her lips. "And thank you," she stated gently. Hearing her thank him, he looked at her quizzically. She looked him in the eye as she spoke, "Thank you for talking to me and being here for me. I greatly appreciate it."

He smiled gently back at her, "It was my pleasure. I'm glad I could help."

Glad that the awkward moment passed, Allura could feel her eyes growing heavy. It had grown later than she had meant to stay up and they were going to need to be awake for everything going on tomorrow. Noticing how her eyes grew heavy-lidded, Shiro lightly touched her forearm. "Let's head to bed. It's getting pretty late."

She nodded, "I agree. We'll need our rest for tomorrow." As they both stood, Shiro faced her and gestured toward the opening of the kitchen.

"I'll walk you to your room," he said. He wasn't sure why he really wanted to, but he felt he should. It seemed to be the gentlemanly thing to do. Plus, she seemed quite tired. He wouldn't want her passing out on the way to her room.

Slightly stunned by his offer, she let out an amused chortle and stepped beside him. "Alright, thank you again." Shiro only nodded and walked along beside her. Walking out of the kitchen, the pooling light from the kitchen turned off; leaving darkness behind them.

They small talked about what they were doing the next day and what they hoped would come out of it. They lightly joked about what the other paladins might do throughout the day and laughed at how Coran may try to cook for them again against Hunk's wishes. Surprisingly to both of them, they enjoyed talking to one another and didn't realize the time passing by. All too soon they got to Allura's bedroom door.

"Thank you for walking me here," she faced him and lightly smiled. "And thank you for your company. It was greatly appreciated."

"It was my pleasure. It was nice talking with you. Hopefully we can talk about more, well, happier things next time," he smirked and chuckled lightly.

She seemed frozen for a moment then spoke. "Oh, yes, hopefully," she hesitantly smiled. "Goodnight, Shiro."

"Goodnight, Allura," he said, but she had already opened the door and walked in. He watched her back disappear behind the swiftly sliding doors. He wondered for a moment why she was so quick to leave, but he figured she may have been tired from their conversation and from being up so late. Giving her door a small smile, he headed off to his own room. He felt as though he'd finally be able to get some sleep.

Meanwhile, Allura leaned her back against the door. Shiro's words kept repeating in her head. The words "next time" made her nervous and confused. What did he mean? The next time they spoke? The next time they run into each other in the night? Was he wanting these small talks to be a regular thing? However, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to be a good idea to have these one-on-one talks with Shiro. With them both being leaders, they would need to be able to understand and trust one another; especially in a harrowing predicament. She had been worried that Shiro would be like the previous black paladin. However, it seems as though he was a reliable and trustworthy man. Though it shouldn't get too personal between them.

Surprised that her mind turned towards that kind of thought, she could feel her cheeks warm. Indecent thoughts like that shouldn't be something coming to mind; especially in a time of war and towards another leader. She shook her head then sighed and smiled. It may have been a long night, but she was glad that she had company to comfort her and started walking to her bed.

As both Shiro and Allura got into bed, they thought of their conversation and of each other.


End file.
